Four soldiers dead in Turkish helicopter crash

Four Turkish soldiers were killed and another wounded on Monday when a military helicopter crashed in a residential area in Istanbul during a training exercise. Even though the helicopter struck a four-storey building before crashing, there were no civilian casualties.

The helicopter had been carrying out a training exercise at the nearby Samandıra air base, İstanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya told the state-owned Anadolu news agency.

The cause of the crash had not yet been determined, he said.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the pilot appeared to be trying to land the helicopter on an empty plot of land in order to prevent civilian deaths.

"They tried to make an emergency landing for a reason that we do not know yet," the minister said. "(The helicopter) was very close to the air base, but unfortunately could not make it back."